1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an electric parking brake system and a method for controlling the electric parking brake system, and, more specifically, to a control over a force with which a pushing mechanism pushes a friction member against a friction face in the electric parking brake system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-2003-327099 (JP-A-2003-327099) describes a technology related to an electric parking brake system. According to the technology, when a parking brake is applied while a vehicle is standstill on a slope, the target value of the tension of a cable is set to a larger value when the absolute value of the inclination angle of the vehicle is large than when the absolute value of the inclination angle of the vehicle is small. In addition, when the vehicle is standstill on a downhill slope and the shift position is in Drive, the target value of the tension of the cable is set to a value larger than the target value that is determined based on the absolute value of the inclination angle of the vehicle. When the vehicle is standstill on an uphill slope and the shift position is in Reverse, the target value of the tension of the cable is set to a value larger than the target value that is determined based on the absolute value of the inclination angle of the vehicle.